Oi, I'm Emily. I live in Brazil in South America. Oi means "hello" in Portuguese, the language we speak in Brazil.

My country is very big, with many different regional cultures and various climates. It's a "tropical country, blessed by God and beautiful by nature," as it says in a famous Brazilian song.

I live in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which has lots of natural wonders and is known as cidade maravilhosa, "the marvelous city." We have beautiful beaches, mountains, and lakes.

My pai (father) is a colonel serving in the Brazilian army. That's why I live inside an army fort—Fort Duque de Caxias. This fort was built by the Portuguese in 1776 to prevent foreign invasions of the time. The fort still has big fortification walls and four cannons. It's a tourist spot in Rio de Janeiro. From here, you can see the statue of Christ the Redeemer (one of the "new" seven wonders of the world), Sugar Loaf Mountain, and the famous Copacabana beach. What I like most is that I'm right next to the beach.

My mae (mother) is a Christian Science practitioner. She helps a lot of people by praying for them. I admire my mom because she trusts God a lot and doesn't give up on anything. She teaches me how to trust in God.

The best day in my life was when my mother met my father, "father Talban." For many years I did not have a dad who was present, because my mom was divorced. I missed having a dad. Then she met my "dad-of-the-heart." That day was very special for me. I know God is my Father-Mother, but I'm very grateful for having my dad, Talban, with me every day expressing love, gentleness, care, and attention.

I have two older brothers, Tarcisio and Tainara. They don't live with me, but are my great friends. My family is very special to me.

My grandparents and all the family always get together on special occasions, such as Christmas, New Year's, Easter, birthdays, and Mother's or Father's Day. My favorite holiday is Children's Day, which is celebrated on October 12. We don't have classes, but we get to play and we receive small presents.

I'm eleven years old and in the sixth grade at the Military School of Rio de Janeiro. My class has 21 students. I have to be at school at 6:40 in the morning, and I leave at 12:30 in the afternoon. My favorite subjects are Portuguese, English, and physical education. I like the graduations and singing the hymns of Brazil and of my school.

My school is all about discipline and order. We have to line up every morning before classes start and then again before leaving school in the afternoon. Our school uniforms have to be neatly presented—we cannot look sloppy. We perform the military salute and refer to adults as "Sir" or "Madam."

I'm really good at soccer. I find soccer exciting. I'm on a mixed team with boys and girls. We play three times a week. When I play soccer, I express special talents—qualities that come from God—in agility, precision, being thoughtful to a teammate, and respect.

One time I felt a pain in my right calf, which is the leg I use to kick. I asked to leave the soccer field, and I prayed. I thought about how God had not made me to be in pain. I'd learned in Christian Science that I was God's child, not material, but spiritual and perfect. After praying with these ideas for a while, I felt fine. I asked to go back to the field. And I scored another goal. I also kicked the ball to a teammate, who scored another goal.

If I could change one thing about our world, I would end all kinds of violence and pollution. I haven't decided what I'm going to do when I grow up. But I have hopes that the world will live in peace and in true love, which is God's love.

Ever since I was little, I've been going to a Christian Science Sunday School. I move a lot from city to city because of Dad's work. For two years I lived in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. I loved the Sunday School there and all the many friends I made. I was the Sunday School Superintendent's "secretary," and I would arrive early and help set up all the classes with hymnals, the Bible, Science and Health, a dictionary, and the candies that were there every Sunday. I would also put up the numbers of the hymns that we would sing.

Once at the church in Sao Paulo we met the Christian Science Board of Directors of The Mother Church. We had some snacks and talked, and it was really great. Now I go to Sunday School in Rio de Janeiro.

Moving a lot can sometimes be hard. I cry a little at first when I say goodbye to my friends. But I keep in touch with them. The good thing is that there is always a new opportunity to make more friends. I learned that whatever place I'm in, God is with me. We're always in His love and safety.

I like Hymn 350 from the Christian Science Hymnal. When I'm anxious or afraid, I think about what it says:

 One day I had a bad stomachache after coming home from school. I was throwing up. Other kids had also gotten sick from eating bad cookies at school, and they ended up staying home for three days. I prayed with my mom, and we sang that hymn. After a while, I was able to go to sleep, and I was well the next day and could go back to school.

I have a favorite Bible story. It's from the book of Daniel, chapter 3. King Nebuchandnezzar made a golden statue and ordered the people to kneel and worship the statue. Three men called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't worship the golden statue, because they obeyed and worshipped only one God and not sculptured images. That made the king furious, and he ordered the men to be thrown into the burning hot furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar saw in the furnace a fourth man, who had the form of an angel. Then he called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out at once. They came out without being touched by the fire. Everybody saw that the fire had no power over them. And the king made a decree that everybody should worship only the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This is one of my favorite stories because it helps me understand how God protects us.

I also like Psalm 23, especially the first verse that says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." It's good to know that I won't want for anything! God gives me everything that I really need. At different times in school, at home, or with my friends, I remember this, and it makes me feel very good.

Com carinho (With love),
Emily